


no thinking thing

by sharkfish



Series: an android walks in [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Android Castiel (Supernatural), Androids, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Mechanic Dean Winchester, Robot/Human Relationships, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-18 18:55:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20317849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharkfish/pseuds/sharkfish
Summary: “I’m an idiot,” Chuck says. “We can do a change of ownership online for fifty bucks.”Dean glances between Chuck and Cas, but Cas doesn’t seem to have any better idea what Chuck is talking about than Dean does. Chuck crosses his arms and frowns at each of them in turn. “I’m talking about transferring ownership ofyou—” Chuck points at Cas, then at Dean, “toyou.”





	no thinking thing

**Author's Note:**

> _“Self-awareness is a gift. And it is a gift no thinking thing has any right to deny another. No thinking thing should be another thing's property, to be turned on and off when it is convenient.”_  
― C. Robert Cargill
> 
> thanks to [jemariel](http://jemariel.tumblr.com) and [suckerfordeansfreckles](http://suckerfordeansfreckles.tumblr.com)
> 
> look, more personhood porn!

An android walks into Dean’s shop. 

He knows immediately it’s not Cas. It’s something about the way the eyes move — looking but not  _ seeing  _ — or maybe it’s just that Cas always smiles when he walks in. 

Dean’s on the phone five minutes later. “Hey, Cas, I just wanted to warn you —” 

“Are you ok? I’m on my way.” 

“Everything’s fine, but I’ve got a 3042 in here.” 

Long pause. Dean can hear the ambient noise on the sidewalks over Cas’s line. “Oh.” 

“Babe, seriously? It’s here  _ for repairs.  _ I’m gonna wait for you before any diagnostics. You bringing coffee?” 

Dean can perfectly picture Cas rolling his eyes. “Yes, I have both coffee and pastries.” 

“God, I love you. See you in a few.” 

An android walks into Dean’s shop with coffee in one hand and a bag of pastries in the other, smiling as soon as he sees Dean. Dean loops an arm around Cas’s neck and kisses him, just shy of indecent. 

“I don’t know why I have to bring you food when I don’t even eat,” Cas grumbles when Dean takes his coffee and breakfast.

“Just think of it as maintaining my primary life systems. I do that for you, don’t I?” 

Cas squints like he’s not entirely sure he’s buying the argument. 

“Plus, you walk by on your way here. It’s convenient.” 

“They had the apple ones you like.” 

“Fucking awesome,” Dean says.

Dean sits on his desk in the corner of the shop he calls an office, and Cas takes the chair while Dean eats more danishes than strictly necessary. Dean tells Cas about a particularly stupid criminal Sam is prosecuting, and Cas laughs, but he keeps sneaking wary glances at the Seraph standing silently in the middle of the shop. 

“Hey,” Dean says. “Are you ok with working on this thing? I can do it myself if you want.” 

“No, it’s fine. You haven’t run any diagnostics?” 

“Nah, haven’t even opened it up yet. Owner isn’t in a big rush but I want to see what we’re getting into.” 

“What are the symptoms?” 

“It’s, uh, not performing right anymore. We’re probably going to have to get into the back panel.” 

“It’s not performing sexually, you mean.” 

Dean rolls his eyes. “I was trying to be diplomatic.” 

Dean tosses his breakfast trash and heads to the bathroom to wash his hands. When he comes out, Cas is standing in front of the other android, just looking at it and frowning. 

“James, take off your clothes,” Dean says, and it disrobes obediently. Dean bumps Cas out of the way with his hip and pops open James’s chest panel. “So, uh. They just fixed that sensation bug this year so do you think — is it going to react like you do?” 

“I imagine so.” 

“James, sleep mode.” James’s eyes close and the programmed facial expressions fade. “I’d feel like I was cheating on you if it was awake.” 

“You touch other machines all the time.” 

“Yeah, but they aren’t getting off on it.” 

Cas moves Dean’s examination light without being asked so Dean can peer inside it. Dean pokes a minute and says, “Can you get me that — uh, yeah, that thing.” Dean plugs the diagnostic computer in and frowns at the results. “Dammit. It’s coming up clear so it must be the nerve center. I’ll have to call Charlie, I can’t handle this.” 

“Of course you can. How many times have you read the manual?” 

“A few times, but —” 

“What’s the worst that could happen?” 

“I fuck it up and Charlie has to fix it.” 

“If you’re going to call Charlie anyway, you might as well try. Then you’ll have experience in case I need repairs on my sensation processors.” 

“Do you know how much it sucks being with someone who is way smarter than me? I’m never going to win an argument. Never.” 

Cas smiles and kisses his cheek. “You seem to like it.” 

“Yeah, well. I’m a fuckin’ masochist. Let me grab some tools.” 

It takes a couple late nights and lots of cursing and a few suggestions from Charlie, but eventually an android walks out of Dean’s shop with fully-functional genitalia. 

“That was weird,” Dean says, collapsing into bed afterwards. 

Cas sits next to him, sliding his hand under Dean’s shirt to touch his stomach. “Which part?” 

“I don’t think I’ve ever spent that much time with a dick. I mean, I am really committed to spending a lot of time with yours, but in a sexy way, not a robot mechanic way. The owner was kinda gross, too. Hope we don’t have to see him again.” Dean tugs at Cas to get him to lay down and kisses him, softly. “Can I ask you something?” 

“Yes,” Cas says, still looking at Dean’s mouth. 

“The people who — before Chuck, were they like that?” 

“There were two. Hannah was mostly just lonely, I think. And — yes, the other one — I didn’t like him.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“He’s dead, and I was given to Chuck.” 

“Can I ask you something else?” 

Cas frowns a little. “Yes.” 

“We got pretty good messing with Jimmy’s sensation systems. You gonna let me in your back panel, you think? If you want to try sometime.” 

Cas smiles, beautiful in a way James could never be. “Sometime, but tonight you’re going to ride me.” 

“Did it get you all  _ aroused  _ to watch me touch it?” 

“Yes,” Cas says, and kisses Dean long and deep, grabbing Dean’s hips to pull him into his lap. 

Cas is an attentive and giving lover, and luckily he doesn’t reboot every time they have sex. He’s sweet enough to hold Dean until he falls asleep, and by morning he’s read several new books and bombards Dean with his thoughts about them before Dean can even start on his coffee. 

Thanks to Cas’s help, Dean can take on more projects. Every time someone does another article about one of Dean’s restorations and doesn’t mention Cas, Dean is a little more pissed. All the money has to funnel through Dean, but Cas is an equal — and sometimes greater — partner in the work by now.

They’ve taken on a new client, a collector who instantly recognized the brand on Cas’s neck but spoke to Cas no differently than he did to Dean. He’s buying up classic machines all over the world and sending them Dean and Cas’s way, so right now there are two Bosch machines, one of the earliest models, in the shop. 

Dean whistles when they get them settled out of the truck. “Holy shit,” Dean says. “This is incredible. This is like — do museums even have these?” 

“Actually,” Cas says, “Gabriel told me one of these would be donated to the Smithsonian, since he was able to locate two of the same model.” 

“What a saint, that Gabriel.” 

Cas laughs, and Dean leans over to kiss his cheek. They do inventory of form and function together, moving around each other in the shop as if they are part of the same well-oiled machine. Looking at the open bot in front of him, Dean thinks,  _ Comes in any color you want, so long as it’s black.  _

“Yesterday,” Cas says, apropos of nothing, “Meg asked me if you like to put your penis in my chest panel.” 

Dean coughs and laughs at the same time, which turns into a strangled squeak. “She asked  _ what?”  _

“Is that something you desire?” 

Cas’s face is entirely without expression, but Dean still knows he’s joking, and laughs so hard he almost falls off his rolling stool. “You’re an asshole,” Dean says. 

Cas smiles, and his eyes brighten a little, backlit by an otherworldly glow. “You did offer to ‘open my back panel,’” Cas says, complete with air quotes. 

The door jingles open, and Dean glances up, more than a little surprised to see Chuck walk in. “I hoped I’d find you both,” Chuck says. 

Dean and Cas both stand. Dean has the ridiculous urge to stand between Chuck and Cas, as if Chuck could ever be a physical threat to Cas, as if his own mass could deflect whatever emotional harm Chuck could cause with words. Cas’s index finger gives the barest twitch at his side, a nervous fidget. 

“I’m an idiot,” Chuck says. “We can do a change of ownership online for fifty bucks.” 

Dean glances between Chuck and Cas, but Cas doesn’t seem to have any better idea what Chuck is talking about than Dean does. Chuck crosses his arms and frowns at each of them in turn. “I’m talking about transferring ownership of  _ you —”  _ Chuck points at Cas, then at Dean, “to  _ you.”  _

Dean’s mouth falls open and Cas says, “Why would you do that?” 

“Because I haven’t seen you in weeks.” 

Dean sneaks a look at Cas. “I don’t want to  _ own  _ you.” 

“You’d rather someone else own me?” 

“Dude, no one should own anyone else. I can’t have you — unable to leave me.” 

“What if Chuck dies?” 

“Thanks,” Chuck says, but Dean and Cas have forgotten he’s even there. 

Dean rubs a hand over his face. “If Chuck dies, you’ll go to someone else.” 

“Who may not be interested in providing me any freedoms.” 

“We need to talk about this,” Dean says, directed at Chuck. “We’ll call you tomorrow.” 

“I’m leaving the country,” Chuck says. “Now or never.” 

Dean closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Cas reaches over and squeezes his hand. “In that case,” Cas says, “I think we have to.” 

“Is this a joke? Did you guys plan this?” 

“No,” Cas and Chuck say at the same time, and Cas continues, “But it makes sense.” 

“Give us ten minutes,” Dean says to Chuck. “Wait here.” 

Dean drags Cas up the stairs to the apartment, but before he can say anything, Cas crowds him against the wall and kisses him slow and deep. “Cas,” Dean says, turning his head away from the kiss. “I can’t have you unable to leave me. I can’t.” 

Cas strokes his hands through Dean’s hair, offering him a smile. “I assumed we wouldn’t do the imprinting protocol.” 

“Jesus, of course not.” 

“Then I’ll be able to leave you just as easily as I can leave Chuck now. I assure you I enjoy spending time with you much more.” 

Dean rolls his eyes but presses. “It’s not right.”

“No, it’s not, but legally, I have to belong to someone.” When Dean doesn’t respond right away, Cas says, “It should be you. You’re a kind and gentle man, but not everyone is.” 

_ “Cas,” _ Dean says, desperate to make him understand the wrongness of it without knowing the right words. “I can’t.” 

Cas steps back and looks away. “I’m beginning to think your concern is that  _ you  _ won’t be able to leave me. If so, then I should just — let someone else have me.” 

“Fucking hell, Cas, you know I love you. But people shouldn’t own each other.” 

“Agreed, but it is what it is.” 

Dean hits his head backwards against the wall a couple of times like it’ll clear his thoughts. When that doesn’t work, he rubs his hand across his face. “Fine,” he says. “But when you want to leave, you will, ok? No sticking around because you think you’re obligated bullshit.” 

“We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it.” 

Dean grabs Cas’s hand and brings it up to his mouth to kiss his knuckles, uncaring of the shop grime on his skin. “I love you, but I hate this.” 

“I love you,” Cas says, “and I hate this less than the alternative.” 

Dean wraps his arms around Cas’s shoulder and hugs him close. Cas’s lack of warmth hasn’t been disconcerting in a long time, and Dean falls into the comfort of his touch. “Ok. Let’s do this.” 

“Serial number 3042-2123592,” Cas recites while Chuck types it into his phone. He recites all of Dean’s information, too, and then Dean and Chuck both sign the transfer with their fingerprints. 

“Be good to each other,” Chuck says before walking out of the shop and Cas’s life. 

“Is he… on the run from the law?” Dean says, still feeling a little shellshocked. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised.” Cas squeezes Dean’s hand, gives him a kiss. “Congratulations on your new sexbot.” 

“I’m not ready to joke about this, Cas.” Before Cas can apologize, Dean continues, “Plus, you’re the one who only wants me for my body.” 

Cas laughs and says, “Let’s take the rest of the day off. I’d like to take you on a date.” 

“Tryin’ to make an honest man out of me, Cas?” 

“Indeed.” 

“All right, Casanova, let’s go.” 

They end up at the ever-shrinking green space by the river, holding hands and watching the water. In front of them, the city is a sprawling metropolis of silver tempting the gods. 

“You ever wish we could get away from metal and concrete?” Dean says. “Like, really away from it.” 

“That might be difficult for me,” Cas says, wiggling his fingers at Dean. 

“Funny,” Dean says. “I’ve got a comedian for a boyfriend.” 

A guy walking his dog past double-takes at the mark on Cas’s neck and then his hand clasped in Dean’s. Cas doesn’t react, but Dean knows he saw it. 

Even with the sounds and smells of the city surrounding them, the sun feels nice on Dean’s face. He never thought he would be the kind of guy to go on afternoon walks in the park with his partner, but most things in his life aren’t what he expected. He wasn’t a smart kid. He broke more things than he fixed and had a whupping for every one, and everyone always figured he’d end up a loser paying rent by being a human test subject. But here he is: a business owner, respected in his field, and in love. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Cas says. 

“That cloud looks like a unicorn,” Dean says. 

Cas squints. “I see no resemblence.” 

“I was just feeling lucky,” Dean says, tugging Cas’s hand so they face each other. “Lucky to have you.” 

Cas smiles. The wrinkles around his eyes are unchanging even as Dean’s deepen. “I love you.” 

A family walks by and the mother grabs her kid’s hand, jerking him away from where Dean and Cas are standing. “I’m sorry,” Dean says, because Cas does flinch this time. 

“It’s all right,” Cas says. “People used to try to hide same-sex couples behind closed doors because they didn’t want to have to explain homosexuality to their children, as if there was ever something to be ashamed about. But look at the world today. Maybe someday things will change for us, too.” 

Dean kisses him, stays close after with his hand on the side of Cas’s neck. “In the meantime, I’ll just love you extra hard. I know it doesn’t really make up for the assholes, but it’s the best I’ve got.” 

“Take me home and love me hard,” Cas says. 

“Oh, baby,” Dean says, laughing, “I’ll make you feel so good that your wires will short and you’ll burst into flames.” 

“Don’t love me quite that hard, please.” 

“I’ll love you so hard you reboot, but no fire extinguisher required.” 

Cas grins. “I look forward to it.” 

**Author's Note:**

> [reallyelegantsharkfish](http://reallyelegantsharkfish.tumblr.com) on tumblr
> 
> i'm bad at answering comments but every single one is so precious to me and keeps me going on the rough days! <3 thank you for being here!


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